TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A partnership between a Great Lakes advocacy group and local pharmacies to dispose of unused drugs has expanded to five states.

The Yellow Jug Old Drugs Program started in Michigan and then spread to Illinois and Wisconsin. Indiana and Ohio are joining in June.

It was started by the Great Lakes Clean Water Organization, which says it will reach out to drugstores in all the states to urge participation.

A number of initiatives have sprung up in recent years to give consumers an alternative to flushing unwanted pharmaceuticals down drains, which has led to trace amounts of chemicals showing up in public water supplies.

Since it began in 2008, the Yellow Jug Old Drugs Program has collected and properly disposed of nearly 50 million tons of medicines.